


(you don’t wanna see me) drag the devil out

by tempted



Category: CLC (Band), NCT (Band)
Genre: Accidental Death, Alternate Universe - 365 FRESH, Attempted Sexual Assault, Bisexual Lee Jeno, Bisexual Na Jaemin, F/M, Fluff, Gangs, Implied Sexual Content, Inspired by 365 Fresh (Music Video), Kleptomania, M/M, Making Out, Multi, Murder, Partying, Polyamory, Recreational Drug Use, References to Organized Crime, References to Suicide, Road Trips, Stealing, but not at heavy as the tags that make it seem, clubs, i know I say this every time, implied threesome, they laugh a lot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-19
Updated: 2021-02-19
Packaged: 2021-03-15 08:49:29
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 14,944
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29556591
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tempted/pseuds/tempted
Summary: The clock is ticking, fast.In which; three strangers who’ve committed varying crimes all end up in a single car somehow, running from everything but each other.They also have a trunk full of stolen cash. That helps.or(Yeeun’s accidentally become a murderer, Jeno’s managed to piss off a good portion of Seoul’s notoriously violent underground and Jaemin just wants to have some fun before he dies.)
Relationships: Jang Yeeun/Lee Jeno, Jang Yeeun/Lee Jeno/Na Jaemin, Jang Yeeun/Na Jaemin, Lee Jeno/Na Jaemin
Comments: 3
Kudos: 29





	(you don’t wanna see me) drag the devil out

**Author's Note:**

> Hello again !!
> 
> Welcome to the product of a combination of watching the 365 fresh mv after a year and writing non stop for two weeks lmaoo
> 
> Heavy subjects are touched upon in this fic so please approach with caution and if you feel like I’ve missed any tags, please let me know !!
> 
> Yet again, I have no beta so any mistakes mark lee did it
> 
> title from devilish - chase atlantic

Throughout his life, Jeno has learnt three very important lessons.

1\. Money certainly can buy happiness.

2\. It’s not love, or any of the other soppy shit people like to spew that keeps the world turning. It’s _money_. Money makes the world turn.

3\. People are willing to commit the craziest acts in the name of money. Including murder.

Currently, Jeno is learning the true significance of lesson number three, first hand. 

The thing is, Jeno likes money just as much as the next person, maybe even a little _more_ , and he certainly likes a lot of it. So naturally, if there’s money just lying around, it’s not like he’s just going to leave it there unattended. 

It’s a bad habit that’s gotten him into serious trouble countless times, but it’s not even like he steals the money for personal reasons. At least, not _this_ time.

Debt is a insatiable shark and unfortunately, due to some less than wise decisions made in the past, his older sister had been caught in it’s grasp. 

He’d done it for the sake of his sister’s future career, in order to get her out of debt so deep it threatened her place in university. They already came from a family of under-achievers, so a feat like getting into a top university in the first place was monumental. Jeno couldn’t let it all go to waste, when he has the means and the talent to fix it.

(If stealing _that much_ in one go fed the aching urge inside of him at the same time, no one has to know.) 

Still, something tells him that the five men chasing him don’t care to hear his sob story.

Jeno forces his legs to take him faster through the windy alleyways, but three of the men have no problem catching up to him.

“Fuck.” He swears, muscles aching terribly.

When Jeno turns to survey his surroundings and judge the likeliness that he’ll actually make it out of this situation unscathed, he catches the unmistakeable silvery glint of a knife in the grip of one of his pursuers. Jeno’s good spirits that he’ll leave totally untouched are suddenly dashed. He’s faster than them, sure, but he’s not faster than a knife slicing through the air.

Another aborted curse leaves his mouth and he looks around frantically for an escape. 

A large, silver fence gleams with opportunity and Jeno sprints towards it, yanking it off of the wall to obstruct their path, causing one of his attackers to trip and fall.

He glances behind him and feels relief when he sees that it was the guy with the knife who had tripped. Hopefully, by the time he gets himself untangled, they’ll be long gone. 

With this kind of distance that Jeno’s managed to put between them, he feels his hopes begin to rise again.

At the next junction, he chooses to turn left instead of right, hoping that he’ll be able to make it to the busy district where the sheer number of likely witnesses will keep him out of harm’s way. 

Sadly, fortune doesn’t allow him that kind of grace and he’s promptly met with two more men around the bend of the corner.

“ _fuck_.” He bites out, again.

He slows to a complete halt at the sight of the because at least he knows when to stop running. That doesn’t necessarily mean he’s given up though.

Jeno squints, his blood running cold.

“Ten-hyung.”

He has a mask covering half of his face, but Jeno could recognise him anywhere. The millions of piercings lining his ears don’t do much to hide his identity either.

“We’re just here on cleanup, Jeno-yah.” Ten sounds bored, but Jeno can see how tense his shoulders are and how unnaturally he’s standing. They were once close.

Ten continues, running a hand through his hair, “Boss can’t have you running around, especially with his money. Who knows what you might tell the press?”

 _Fuck the press_ , Jeno wants to say, but figures that would probably be counter productive. The four men behind Ten close in, readying themselves for a fight. Jeno watches as Ten sighs and cracks his knuckles loudly, “Make this easy for us, Jeno.”

Jeno thinks back to the very same training Ten had given him, all of those years ago. _If you’re cornered, always throw the first punch_. It’s starting to sound like a good idea right about now, he needs any advantage he can secure immediately.

Because he likes to think that they could be friends again once Ten finds his way out of that shitty company, he goes for the tall guy next to him instead.

The man wheezes as the wind is knocked out of him by Jeno’s swing, triggering the rest to jump straight into action. 

While Jeno’s proud of the number of injuries he manages to cause, the number disadvantage eventually fails him and soon he’s taking punch after punch, kick after kick. Jeno notices that the guy who’s lip he managed to split is beating him with the most intensity of them all.

It’s the kind of aggression that instantly tells Jeno that they’re here with the intention to finish him off, and he finds himself thinking that if he’s going to die for all of this, his sister better not fuck up again.

He’s mentally preparing himself for everything to end here in some dingy alley when he’s unexpectedly allowed a small reprieve.

They’re close enough to the main street that half of the men panic at the sound of an approaching siren. Jeno looks up in curiosity when the attacks cease and watches them sprint of in different directions, but there’s still Ten and two other guys that remain.

Sensing opportunity still, Jeno makes a break for it, ducking under Ten’s arm while he’s distracted and sprinting down the path to the main road. Jeno quickly regrets his decision when he looks back and remembers that Ten’s athletic excellence is the reason why they put him on cleanup so often.

He’s about to truly give up when he hears a quiet but unmistakeable whisper, like someone’s calling out to him. He stops to locate the noise, but there’s no one in his near vicinity and Jeno’s cursing himself for wasting precious seconds when he hears it again.

“Hey.”

Paranoid, Jeno whips around, ignoring the fact that his pursuers are steadily approaching, then realises the sound is coming from above him. 

He looks up, and is greeted by a head poking over the edge of a second story balcony. Jeno notices that the building is the back of a high end bar that he used to frequent. 

The black haired boy leaning over the edge waves some keys around, signalling to the parking lot behind them. Jeno’s confused for a moment before he realises that the stranger is offering to help him escape.

Well, it’s not like he has any other options.

Thank fuck he knows these streets well, he thinks as he leaps over a fence that he knows is separating him from the entrance to the parking lot filled with fancy cars. Sprinting past a car that almost runs him over, he figures he has about a minute before Ten and his goons catch up to him.

He’s running up the slopes of the spacious building until he reaches the second floor, where he spots that black haired boy from the balcony leaning against a shiny white car that Jeno resists the urge to whistle at.

There’s no time for pleasantries as the shouting from the bottom floor grows louder and Jeno wastes not a second throwing the bag of money strapped across his shoulder into the trunk that the boy kindly opens for him.

Jeno feels the other man’s curious eyes follow his movement as he slams the trunk shut, but he hopes the glare he sends his way is scalding enough to deter any prying hands until they’re not being hounded long enough for them to part ways. 

The boy tosses him the keys and Jeno catches them instinctively, then frowns. He looks at them, then back at the man, waiting for an explanation that comes in the form of “I just saved your ass, I’m not driving.”

The car doors slam shut in sync with Jeno’s pursuers reaching the second floor, and Jeno’s slamming his foot on the accelerator with so much force that the car jerks wildly before taking off.

The car is filled with tension as they watch the bar grow further and further away. Once they’re no longer in the same part of city, Jeno allows himself to relax, loosening his grip on the wheel.

Surrounded by Seoul-typical scenery and silence as he drives, Jeno brims with questions. 

The first ones comes tumbling out, and Jeno makes no effort to stop it. “Why did you help me?”

The other boy laughs even though nothing is funny and it sets Jeno slightly on edge. “To be honest, I was on my way to go jump off of a bridge. Your situation was slightly more entertaining.”

“Oh.” Jeno says intelligently. He has no idea how to respond to that.

“I’m Jaemin, by the way.”

“Jeno.” He offers in return. Jaemin nods.

Jeno looks over at the boy in the passenger seat. He’s undeniably pretty, skin glistening in the moonlight and black hair falling into his eyes. Bruises bloom at the corner of his mouth and around his eye, the blues and green contrasting the porcelain of his skin.

“What happened to your face?” Jeno barely attempts to mask his overwhelming curiosity.

“Tried to jump in front of some guy’s Mercedes. He didn’t take it well.” Jaemin tells him. “I started laughing while he was punching me and he took that even worse.”

Jeno doesn’t bother questioning why he would laugh in a situation like that. Jaemin is fucking insane, Jeno can already see that much.

Humming conversationally, Jeno humours him, “I wouldn’t want blood on my Mercedes either.”

At that response, Jaemin laughs goodnaturedly and Jeno decides that he likes the sound.

Underneath his palms, Jeno feels the comfort of the spotless white leather and embraces the smooth turn of the wheel. Overhead, there are small twinkly lights that resemble stars which envelop the car in sparkling mood lighting. Jeno’s also sure that he could lean the seat all the way backwards and people sitting in the back would still have leg room to spare. He’s never driven a car this nice and spacious. 

Suspicions curl in Jeno’s mind.

“This isn’t your car, is it?”

“Nope.” Jaemin pops, with a mischievous grin. The kleptomaniac in Jeno is silently proud.

They don’t speak much after that, save for Jaemin offering him a bunch of white pills that are probably less than legal. Jeno downs them without a second thought, and he’s grateful for the fact that they help take the edge off of the shooting pain near his ribs.

With the pain now subsided, Jeno tries to concentrate on the empty street ahead of him, instead of the fact that he’s now on the run for his life with a devilishly attractive suicidal car thief.

-

If you asked a nineteen year old Jang Yeeun where she thought she’d be in two years, she’d probably say something like studying in university, or if a miracle happened and her conservative dad somehow changed his mind, she’d maybe even be training to be an idol.

She’d never even considered _this_ , cutting people’s hair at eleven in the evening. The shop is in a dimly lit alleyway decently close to the busy street full of food spots and noraebangs. Considering the location, business is rather lucrative. 

The walls are littered with snippets from vogue magazines and vintage trinkets, and to her right, the entire expanse is covered in red LED strip lights that douse the room in mood lighting. It’s a quirky little place; Yeeun understands the appeal.

The chime of the door alerts her and she pulls her eyes away from the drama showing on the large flatscreen they bought for the purpose of increased customer ratings. 

Adjusting her skirt, She puts on her spotless customer service smile and is about to recite her welcome speech when she sees just who’s at the door.

“Kibum.” She says in lieu of a greeting.

The familiar man shuts the door behind him to block out the cold, offering a weak smile, “I’m back.”

Kibum’s cheeks are tinted rose by the cold and his lips are pulled into a wide smile, like he’s waited ages just for this one moment. Yeeun promptly directs him to a seat, and steels herself for the exchange.

After a nasty breakup, most people would attempt to distance themselves from the other party, especially in the work world. Most people wouldn’t stand for their ex boyfriends continuing to request their services in their place of work. Most people would direct their boyfriends elsewhere in fewer and harsher words.

Yeeun, however, isn’t a normal person. Yeeun is a person who desperately needs money just so she can live, and if she can source it by shaving her ex boyfriend’s face every two weeks, then so be it. Even if he makes her feel uncomfortable sometimes.

“The usual?” She asks once she’s tied her apron around her waist and secured the short sections of her hair that fall into her eyes when she’s trying to concentrate.

“No, just a shave today.”

“Okay.” 

“I’m trying to grow my hair out.” He says, the end of his sentence trailing off like a question, like he’s looking for validation.

“I’m sure it’ll look great.” She says politely, and the conversation seems to end there.

While she’s dragging the razor against his skin, Yeeun notices Kibum’s eyes flit around the room routinely, first towards the front door, then towards the door that leads to the back rooms, then at the clock, and over and over again. Yeeun covers up the twitch in her eyebrow with a hum that sounds like she’s simply concentrating. What is he looking for? What is he _waiting_ for?

It’s when she’s turned around, wiping the excess shaving cream on a towel, that she feels the ghost of a touch against her bare thigh. Instinctively, she jumps and her grip on the razor suddenly becomes lax, causing it to clatter to the floor, positively deafening in the quiet ambience of the store. 

Kibum stares up at her, seemingly confused at her unexcpected overreaction, so she sends a reassuring smile in his direction though she suddenly feels like throwing up. It must have been an accident, she reasons with herself.

Shaking, she crouches in order to pick up the dirtied razor. She has no idea what’s set her so far on edge today, but she attempts to shrug it off, placing the dropped shaving tool on the cart next to her to be cleaned later. Yeeun proceeds to effortlessly switch tools to a brand new, clean blade. 

Unfortunately, she doesn’t get very far before Kibum is speaking once again, “You’re alone.”

Yeeun _knows_. In fact, she’s painfully aware of the fact. Ignoring the shiver that crawls up her spine, she attempts to respond cordially. 

“Seunghee unnie couldn’t make it today.” She responds, trying to keep her tone light, airy.

“I miss you, Yeeun-ah.” Kibum tries to place his own hand atop Yeeun’s, which is resting on the back of his seat. She recoils like she’s been burned.

“It’s Yeeun.” She corrects, coldly, but quickly feels as if she’s made a mistake.

Kibum winces like he’s been slapped and sits up straighter in his seat, “You never had a problem with me calling you that before.”

Blinking quickly in an attempt to stay level headed, Yeeun hurries to finish her job quickly, so that this can just be done. She makes a mental note to finally ask Seunghee to blacklist her ex boyfriend from the store tomorrow. “I’m working, Kibum. Let’s not do this here.”

“I can be different, Yeeun-ah. I can be better.”

“Kibum.” She sighs, hand stilling. She’s heard this all before.

“You didn’t even try to save us.” Kibum’s voice is rising, accusatory.

“ _You_ cheated on _me_ , Kibum.” Yeeun says, tone soft and reasonable even though she feels anything but. She doesn’t want the situation to escalate. Placing the razor on the cart, Yeeun takes a careful step backwards. There’s no point. Kibum clearly has no intention of keeping this interaction civil. 

“It was a mistake. It didn’t mean anything to me.” Yeeun watches him rip the salon cape from around his neck and stand up, advancing towards her. Yeeun forgot just how much her ex towers over her.

“We’re over, Kibum.” She pleads, a hint of fear prickling behind her eyelids. Kibum is yelling now. Chancing a glance towards the front door, Yeeun judges that there’s no way she’ll be able to get past him and out onto the street. Her breaths are coming out shaky now, and her gaze darts around like a cornered animal.

Her words piss him off even further and his voice is so loud now that Yeeun’s ears ring, “You don’t just get to decide that. There’s two of us in this fucking relationship!”

“There is no relationship!” Yeeun finally yells back, fear gripping her bones and blood rushing in her ears.

Yeeun hears the slap before she even feels it. It cracks loudly, like a whip of lightning, and then there’s a shocked silence that settles over the two of them. The quiet is only broken by the rattling of Yeeun’s breathing, and the whirring of their shitty heating system.

“Look what you made me do, Yeeun-ah.” Kibum whispers.

Yeeun can’t move. She’s stuck in the same position he’d left her in, like she’d only just been slapped. Her skin smarts where his hand connected with her cheek and she’s sure there’s a glaring red mark branded on her pale skin. Apparently, her unresponsiveness only seems to anger him further.

“Look!” He bellows and Yeeun winces at the sound, her heart stuttering wildly in her chest. He grabs her face roughly, forcing her to make eye contact with him. “Fucking look at me, Yeeun-ah!”

“This isn’t who I am. You know this isn’t who I am. Look what you’ve made me become!” The veins on his neck look like they’re threatening to burst. Yeeun’s never been more terrified in her life.

Her mind starts rushing at a million miles a second. They’re in some dingy alleyway that’s sparsely littered with a few convenience stores. None of them are late night running. The nearest street is a considerably long walk. No one will hear her scream.

She’s given no time to assess her options before Kibum is brazenly advancing, tackling her painfully against the countertop. She’s instantly overpowered. His hands are everywhere, roaming and pulling as Yeeun thrashes and struggles against his hold. 

Her head is forced upwards during the struggle and the overhead lights are white and blinding. This is how she’s going to die. Yeeun can barely even feel herself screaming her throat hoarse; she’s going to fucking _die_ here. 

Somehow, amongst the chaos, she manages to land a kick square against his stomach, which winds him and causes him to relent, giving Yeeun an opening to escape.

She barely thinks before she’s placing her hands against his chest and shoving as hard as she can. She had only meant to put a little distance between them, enough for her to escape and call the police.

She hadn’t meant for this to happen.

It’s like the scene around them slows down and Yeeun instantly knows what she’s just done. It’s too late and she watches her ex boyfriend slip on a stray towel she’d forgotten to pick up earlier with wide eyes. 

He tumbles backwards, hands grasping at Yeeun to save himself, but she can’t move. His head hits the sharp corner of the counter with a chilling thud, and then there’s silence once again.

The sound upon impact is so sickening that Yeeun doesn’t even have to check to know Kibum isn’t getting up.

Her mouth hangs open as she stands there, pressed against the wall, as far away from the body as possible. Kibum’s white shirt slowly stains with thick red, along with the linoleum surrounding him. 

Enough blood collects now that the smell is pungent, invasive. The urge to throw up that Yeeun had earlier makes itself present once again and she collapses to the floor, eyes glued to the scene in front of her.

She looks up and the LED lights glare back. There’s red everywhere. 

Panicked, she crawls towards the body, grabbing a towel off the edge of one of the low counters and attempts to clean up the mess she’s created. 

It’s no use. 

There’s too much blood. 

It keeps coming and coming and soon it’s in her hair, on her clothes, smeared across her cheek because she’s probably rubbed at it in her attempt to wipe it all. It’s warm and slick against her fingers, her legs where she’s kneeling.

Gasping for air, Yeeun claws at her throat, she feels like she’s suffocating.

It’s a wonder she isn’t crying yet, but she feels like she can’t, like every crevice has completely dried up in her shock. She’s killed someone. She’s killed her ex boyfriend. She’s killed _Kibum_. Kibum was an asshole, but he didn’t deserve this. He didn’t deserve to die.

Yeeun’s mind races a mile a minute, and soon she realises that she’s in serious, serious trouble.

Something deep inside Yeeun alerts her that there’s no getting away with this. There’s far too much blood, it looks like a fucking massacre in here. They were completely alone, there’s no cameras in here and Yeeun’s the sole survivor. She’s already started wiping the place down, so now it looks even worse. They’ll never believe self defence. Not with this scene. 

“Fuck.” Yeeun curses, shakily, “fuck, _fuck_. Oh, _shit_.”

Immediately, Yeeun forgets about going home. She lives in an apartment directly above this place which she initially loved because she never had to commute, but now she curses herself, she’ll certainly be the first suspect and they’ll find her in no time. 

Kibum’s about a thousand times heavier now that he isn’t breathing, so moving him is out of the question. Even if she theoretically managed to get away with it, there’s no way she’d be able to live with a secret this severe. 

Hopelessness crashes into Yeeun like a freight train and the panic suddenly subsides. She removes her apron, strips herself of her bloodstained cardigan and unclips her hair.

The night is cold as the door slams shuts behind her.

-

Jeno slams his foot on the brakes so violently, Jaemin’s pretty sure the two of them are going to leave with some pretty serious cases of whiplash. The wind is forcefully knocked out of Jaemin’s stomach and he has to clutch his bruised side in pain. Fuck that guy with the Mercedes, really.

After Jeno visibly gets over the initial shock of almost bulldozing the girl who’d suddenly appeared in the middle of the empty street, they’re met by a new realisation. She’s covered entirely in blood, from head to toe.

It’s like she barely even realises that she just evaded death, unseeing eyes locked onto Jaemin’s through the windshield and her bloodied hands in front of her, like she’d been preoccupied staring at them before Jeno had almost killed her. Her blond, shoulder length hair is painted with streaks of red, along with her white skirt and brown top, which seem to be torn.

Jaemin’s eyebrow quirks upwards as he watches Jeno tumble out of the car to get to the girl. Today is proving to be quite interesting.

He’s quick to follow Jeno, who’s already caught up to the girl and questioning her.

“Are you sure? I can take you to the hospital.” Jeno offers, voice filled with concern. 

The girl shakes her head frantically at Jeno’s suggestion, eyes wide. Her hands are shaking. The panicked display makes Jaemin feel bad for her.

“Don’t worry. It’s not-“ she starts, but her sentence reaches a suspicious end. The street lights cast an accusatory glow upon her.

“Yours? It’s not yours?” Jaemin questions. She doesn’t respond, but Jaemin instantly knows he’s right when her features darken with what looks like overbearing guilt. 

“Don’t worry.” He offers cautiously, mouth moving against his will, “we won’t tell anyone.”

It’s not like they really have anyone to tell, when Jeno’s quite clearly a criminal on the run and Jaemin’s just become his willing accomplice. Taking the girl to the hospital would’ve been a sure gamble anyways.

The girl blinks a couple tears away and the words suddenly come pouring out, “I didn’t want to- I just- I didn’t want him anymore and he wouldn’t leave me alone and then he started yelling- and- and- I didn’t know what to do- and he pushed me- and I thought was going to _die_.”

“Hey,” Jeno tries to interject but the girl is already hyperventilating. Jaemin wonders what the three of them look like, a panicking girl covered in blood that isn’t hers and two beaten up guys previously crusading in a stolen car, all standing in the middle of a deserted street.

“I didn’t mean to kill him, I swear.” The tears are running down her face endlessly and her voice is choked, small, pleading. “I didn’t want him to die and now there’s blood everywhere and Seunghee-unnie’s going to find him tomorrow and-“

Jeno interrupts her, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder, “listen, we’re not going to the police, and from you’re telling us, it sounds like he deserved it.” 

Jaemin hums in agreement, “do you have anywhere to go?”

At his question, he girl looks startled for a moment, before she shakes her head no, blonde hair framing her pretty face. Jaemin nods, understanding. 

“Okay,” he adresses the two of them, “then let’s get going, we don’t exactly look like upstanding citizens standing around here.”

The girl’s eyebrows furrow, but Jeno looks largely unfazed, already starting towards the shiny car. Just like that, it’s decided - she’s tagging along. If she wants, of course. Something tells Jaemin that she isn’t likely to refuse.

“What’s your name?” Jeno asks the girl when they approach the vehicle, and she responds easily, “Jang Yeeun.”

“Okay, I’m Jeno and this is Jaemin. We met twenty minutes ago.”

Yeeun doesn’t question their circumstances and simply accepts Jaemin’s offer of the front seat. The white leather sinks around her, and she leans back against the headrest, facial expression so, so defeated. 

Jaemin makes the educated assumption that she quite simply has nothing to lose.

-

They drive for another four hours with no specific goal or destination, except for their shared desire to get far, far, _far_ away from Seoul.

Like earlier, the street is calm and empty as they drive by. Yeeun had fallen asleep about an hour into their journey, eyes eventually fluttering closed against her best efforts, and Jeno had been glad to see her rest. He doesn’t imagine she’ll be able to sleep much after what she’s been through.

Even though she seems to be sleeping, the nap doesn’t look like a pleasant experience. Yeeun keeps tossing and turning in her seat like she’s being tormented, and there’s this crease between her eyebrows that Jeno suddenly wants to rub away. 

She ends up not even lasting twenty minutes before her eyes are snapping open again and she lets out a quiet sigh of defeat.

Shifting so she can stare out of the window, Yeeun leans her head against the glass and her eyeshadow glitters prettily under the glare of the streetlights, but Jeno can only see the painful clench of her fists.

Jaemin, too, is quiet, also occupied with the scenery quickly passing them by. He sits directly in the middle of the back three seats, leaning forwards against the glove compartment to chance a better view through the windshield.

Here, in the almost complete tranquility, Jeno allows himself to come to the realisation that his spontaneously acquired partners are really quite beautiful.

He’s almost hypnotised by the glossy shimmers that glint off of the porcelaine of Yeeun’s skin, and the pretty shape of her pink lips traps Jeno’s gaze. 

His eyes flit to the overhead mirror and he catches Jaemin in the reflection. 

Now, in the sparsely lit darkness of the car, the dark slopes of his features are a thousand times more alluring, and Jeno has to positively drag his eyes away from the pair for fear of causing an accident.

He chances a quick glance towards the backseat once more and finds Jaemin’s eyes locked on his, a playful smirk playing on his lips. He’s been caught.

“So besides the police, who exactly are we running from?” Jaemin questions behind him, tone deceivingly unassuming but it’s obvious the question’s directed at Jeno.

Sighing, Jeno relays his story of events without any further prompting. They seem to be in it together for the long haul, so he sees no point in keeping secrets. “I stole a bunch of money from my old boss so my sister could afford university.”

Jaemin makes a funny ‘o’ shape with his mouth, nodding slowly. “Then why were those guys chasing you back there?”

Yeeun’s now turned towards the both of them, paying attention. Jeno responds and braces himself, “My old boss is a chief executive at dash enterprises.” 

“The company that makes those computers?” Jaemin asks, eyes incredibly wide.

“Yeah.” Jeno winces at their blatant reactions, they’re gonna love this next bit. “He also runs a subsidiary of Seoul’s largest criminal syndicate. One that specialises in grand theft.”

Instead of the reactions of shock and horror that Jeno had honestly been expecting, both of his accomplices nod in mute understanding like his entire situation suddenly makes sense. 

They’re less shocked than when he revealed that his old boss held a high position at an electronics company. He’s about to protest in indignation, but Jeno supposes it does make sense, with his kleptomaniac tendencies. 

There’s really no place for him, other than the underground.

Tucking a blonde strand behind her ear, Yeeun shifts her whole body in her seat so that she’s now facing Jaemin completely. 

“Are you going to stay with us, Jaemin-ssi? You haven’t actually done anything incriminating yet.” Yeeun asks.

Honestly, Jeno’s questioned it too; Jaemin could make a break for it when they’re next parked and forget about them entirely, or maybe even call the police. 

There are no serious crimes tied to his hands yet, unlike the other two. He’d probably even get heavily rewarded for revealing the pair’s whereabouts.

If he stays, though, the stakes are much higher.

Jaemin hums, “I don’t know, I’m pretty satisfied with running away with a hot kleptomaniac and a pretty murderer after a suicide attempt. I think I’ll stay for now. Also, call me Jaemin, please.”

While Jeno physically cannot keep himself out of trouble, he thinks Jaemin takes the grand prize for most reckless behaviour. No one in their right mind would willingly help two soon-to-be fugitives make their great escape for absolutely no personal benefit, no matter how hot they happened to be. 

Who knows what Jeno could do to him, or what Yeeun could do to him? Then Jeno promptly remembers that the bruise on the corner of the other man’s bottom lip exists because he’d jumped in front of a very angry man’s car that was moving at breakneck speeds, and he stops trying to apply logic to their situation.

“Good.” Yeeun sighs in slight relief, her voice barely above a whisper, but they both hear it anyway. Strangely, Jeno’s also comforted by the knowledge that their unconventional trio isn’t going to be losing a member just yet. 

“I also sell drugs sometimes, so I’m not entirely innocent.” Jaemin tacks on, with a humorous wink. They all laugh and soon, another comfortable silence settles over them.

“What’s your plan after this?”

“If I’m not in jail with you guys, I’ll probably drown myself in the ocean.” Jaemin laughs and it’s a free sound that doesn’t match the subject matter in the slightest. 

There’s something slightly unnerving about the way he can continue to talk about death so carelessly. There’s something seriously wrong with this guy. 

The conversation apparently ends there and the pair go back to gazing out of their respective windows. They drive only a little more, until Jeno’s eyes are threatening to remain permanently closed with every blink he chances.

Figuring that he’d rather not be the cause of a car accident that kills them all, Jeno decides to pull up to the isolated parking lot of some cheap motel, announcing that they’re done for the night. 

Under the moonlight, the asphalt in front of them appears silvery as the ridges get caught in the dim shine and the night around them is quiet save for the quiet rumble of the heater.

Jeno kills the engine and rests his head against the wheel momentarily, while behind him, Jaemin stretches his arms above his head to the best of his ability in such a cramped box. He lets out a loud groan.

“I wanna sleep in a real bed.” Jaemin whines, leaning against the back of the front seat.

“Me too.” Jeno whines back, sulking. The giant red lights that read ‘motel’ flicker back at them mockingly. He then glances in the overhead mirror and takes in their bloody, disheveled appearances. Comfort remains close but yet so far. 

He sighs, “But we can’t walk in there like this.”

“We need some new clothes.” Yeeun says and the other two hum in agreement.

Fatigue slurs Jeno’s words and he has to fight to keep his eyelids open. The digital numbers on the dashboard read _03:37am_ . 

“We’ll get them tomorrow.” He mumbles in belated response.

Jaemin squints. “With what money?” 

Jeno waves a hand around lazily, “I’m kleptomaniac. And a good one at that. We’ll be fine.”

“But that’s stealing.” Yeeun interjects, immediately realising the context of the situation she’s in after the words leave her mouth.

Jeno stops reclining his seat and both he and Jaemin give her a look that seems to quickly remind her that she’s currently on the run for murder. A light blush spreads across her cheeks and she’s so cute that Jeno feels his heart tug.

“Goodnight, guys.” Jaemin sighs, lying down and throwing an arm over his face. Lucky bastard, Jeno curses in his head - he and Yeeun have to make do with the front seats. 

Jeno wishes the two goodnight back, then pulls his cap over his face and allows his eyes to flutter shut.

Jeno drifts off surprisingly easily, considering the circumstances - but then again, he wouldn’t have lasted a moment in the world of grand theft if he were prone to fretting. He probably wouldn’t be in this situation either now that he thinks about it. His instincts would’ve told him that getting into a car, alone, with a murderer and a suicidal nutcase isn’t in his best interests. 

What feels like hours later but is only just a few minutes, Jeno’s pulled out of his light slumber by the sound of rustling. He opens his eyes to see Yeeun wide awake, staring at her blood tinted palms with wide, fearful eyes.

She’s unresponsive, like she’s reliving the experience. 

Sitting up slowly so as not to startle her, he turns and sees that the rustling is coming from Jaemin, who seems to be searching for something.

The black haired boy makes a quiet _aha_ sound, before he pulls a white rag out of the seat pocket in front of him. When he offers it to Yeeun, she simply stares with a disoriented look in her eyes, like she‘d forgotten her whereabouts. 

Yeeun takes it slowly, mumbling a small ‘thanks’ and uses it to rub the blood off of her hands to the best of her ability. Once her efforts become futile, she drops the rag and lets her head fall against the headrest.

Instead of leaving them on this time, Jaemin flicks off the starlights above their heads and lies back down. The car is enveloped in darkness.

“Now, sleep.” He orders, “Both of you.”

-

Jaemin opens his eyes and almost goes blind. 

He tries again and manages to keep them open long enough to realise that it’s all Yeeun’s doing. She’s leaning into the car from outside, generously shining a light in Jeno’s face, then back in his again. 

Jaemin swats at the phone, unfortunately wide awake now.

“Finally.” Merciless, Yeeun walks around to the other side of the car and pulls Jeno’s door open, directing a harsh ray of disturbing sunlight across his peaceful features, “I’ve been trying to get you guys up for ages.”

Once Jaemin is functional enough to be able to process the visual information that his eyes are sending to his brain, he realises that Yeeun looks much cleaner than she did last night. 

The crusted blood painted across her legs and under her nails is gone now. Similarly, the streaks in her hair have also faded considerably, much less shocking than they appeared last night in the middle of the road, and she’s managed to tie it in a way so that the splatters don’t scream murder anymore. 

“Let me show you guys something.” Yeeun urges, signalling towards the back of the car, her hands on her hips. Groggily, Jaemin sits up and runs his hands through his hair a couple times before he’s able to muster the effort to rise and follow her.

Yeeun opens the trunk and the three of them soon find themselves staring at an bag overflowing with more cash than Jaemin has ever seen in his life. So _that’s_ why Jeno had glared at him so viciously last night when he’d so much as glanced at the bag.

Jeno scratches the back of his neck awkwardly, “Did I mention that I kept whatever was extra?”

Yeeun’s indignant, “Then why did you act like we had no money yesterday when we were talking about getting new clothes?”

“I didn’t. I just said I was kleptomaniac.”

Something about their situation makes Jaemin feel like laughing, “Why would we steal if we have this much money to blow through?”

“Paying for shit is no fun.” Jeno pouts and Jaemin fights the urge to call a serial thief who previously worked for the underground _cute_.

The loud rumbling of Yeeun’s stomach interrupts them, and they both laugh at her embarrassment. 

To tackle the food issue, Jaemin, who looks the least incriminating, decides to go grab them something to eat from the motel’s convenience store. He pays for three cartons of banana milk and some cheap bento boxes with a couple of bills that Jeno had slipped into his hand.

When he returns, Jeno’s fiddling with the radio and Yeeun’s watching him, laughing at his failures. Jaemin bites the inside of his lip, he almost doesn’t want to disturb them. 

He opens the door anyway and they both look up in peaked interest when Jaemin waves the bag of food around, grabbing at the bentos like they’ve been starved.

“Banana milk? In the morning? With bentos?” Jeno questions incredulously once he gets his hands on a carton.

“Why not?” Jaemin shoots back, offended. Who doesn’t like banana milk, especially in the mornings?

Both Jeno and Yeeun make eye contact, laughing at his reaction, and Jeno takes a long swig of the milk anyway.

Yeeun shows them to the bathrooms once they finish eating, where they wash their faces and brush their teeth with the crappy toothbrushes they’d gotten from the motel’s reception. 

They all look a lot better now, Jaemin thinks, even though his lip is still busted and he can tell that every breath Jeno takes puts him in excruciating pain.

Jaemin takes a deep breath and pushes himself off of the counter he was leaning on. “We should go.”

“Where to?” Jeno asks. 

It’s a stupid question. They have nowhere to go.

“Let’s just have fun.” Yeeun responds, still washing her hands.

The _before we run out of time_ remains unsaid but they both hear it loud and clear.

-

Several miles later, the trio find themselves in the next city, lugging several bags filled with an assortment of items around a dazzling shopping district.

Beneath the showy signs and amongst the renowned designer names, the crowd has a life of its own. It’s easy for the three of them to slip into anonymity with the chatter and bustle that surrounds them, easy for them to become momentarily engulfed by the life of the city.

They’ve already bought new phones and chargers from that shop decorated with the twinkly stars at the window, and they’d wiped almost every number they’d previously had for fear of being traced. 

The pained look on Yeeun’s face as she destroyed her old phone gave Jaemin shivers. He imagines that would’ve been the last contact venue she’d have with anyone significant in her life.

Currently, they’re in some high end clothes store, truly taking advantage of Jeno’s stash in the trunk.

Jaemin’s already amassed quite the assortment of clothes in the shopping bag he’s carting around. 

Jeno, apparently not much of a shopper, is just tagging alongside him, occasionally picking up anything that catches his eye. Jaemin sends Jeno a knowing smirk when he catches him slipping a couple items in his actual bag indiscreetly. 

Jeno’s telling him something about his cats back gone when they turn a corner and run into Yeeun, who had disappeared a little while earlier.

“I wanna try these on.” She says, thrusting the clothes in her arms forwards meaningfully.

The pair easily agree and follow Yeeun to the changing rooms for lack of anything better to do, where she moves to disappear behind the cubicle’s curtain.

“Wait here?” She asks, head popping out from behind the curtain, and Jeno and Jaemin are taking their seats on the waiting benches before she even finishes her question. 

She sends them a cute smile before she fully retreats behind the fabric.

“She seems much better.” Jaemin states into the open air and Jeno hums in thoughtful agreement.

“I hope she is. Seeing people die is always rough. It’s way worse when it feels like it’s your fault.” Jeno’s eyes cloud over and his expression darkens, fingers clenching over into a tight fist. 

Given the sudden change in atmosphere, Jaemin guesses that those words come from somewhere more personal that Jeno’d probably like to admit. He chances it, trying to turn his voice into something careful but sympathetic, “Speaking from experience?”

Jeno scoffs, but there’s no mirth in the sound. “You don’t wanna know.”

Jaemin decides that he probably doesn’t.

They’re interrupted by Yeeun drawing the curtain back and approaching them, clad in a sequin adorned dress that fits her prettily, in Jaemin’s opinion. Jaemin sees the way Jeno’s eyes widen even though he quickly corrects himself and knows he’s not the only one who thinks so.

Still, Yeeun herself looks unsure as she sizes herself up in the large mirror opposite the changing rooms, tugging at the end of the dress.

“I should get something else.” She mutters quietly to herself.

“No.” Jeno’s is quick to interject, a bit too loudly even, then stands to walk up to the mirror too. They make eye contact through the mirror and Jeno’s speaking again, softly this time, “You should get it.”

Yeeun hums, still indecisive, and Jaemin finds her impossibly cute. “Are you sure?”

“Definitely. It suits you.” Jeno smiles kindly, eyes creasing into crescent moons, and Yeeun blushes uncontrollably before hurrying back to the changing rooms.

Granted, none of them really _know_ each other, but something about Jeno and Yeeun’s dynamic just makes sense — Jaemin can’t explain it. 

They click in that way strangers don’t typically tend to, especially for such an awkward pair, but then again, maybe being on the run from both hardened gangs and the police acts as a relationship catalyst of sorts.

They’re even visually appealing together - blonde hair, beautiful features and complimentary statures merging well. They certainly look good when separate and they look even better together.

A dark feeling curls in Jaemin’s gut that he desperately attempts to suppress to no avail. He struggles with it as it takes over every thought, compulsive, _intrusive_. 

It just doesn’t reel right to be a part of their delicate world. Not when he’s suicidal and an eccentric thrill seeker that’s managed to singlehandedly sever all of his precious relationships. He feels like he’s _intruding_.

To distract himself from that derailing train of thought, Jaemin decides to indulge himself by paying for an entire stack of Jeno’s money’s worth in clothes, to which the other happily obliges.

Spending and stealing is such catharsis.  
It pumps adrenaline in his veins to compensate for dull feeling in his chest that never goes away. 

It makes up for how vast and bleak life seems when he’s sober, how numbing it is to simply exist when he’s not on the literal verge of death.

They go into one more shop afterwards as per Jeno’s request, and Jaemin suspects that they only really went so that Jeno could finally sate his urge to take something. While there, Yeeun buys three metal bracelets that she quickly stashed in her back, and neither of them question it.

As expected, Jeno loosens up considerably after he pockets a couple useless trinkets and soon they’re finally leaving the shopping district. 

Once they’ve hauled all of their bags into the trunk, Jeno turns to them both. It’s late afternoon, and the golden sun’s highlighting the sharp features of his face nicely.

“Where do you guys wanna go now?” Jeno asks, hands on his hips.

Yeeun hums in absentminded thought, shoving the rest of her bags in the backseat.

“An aquarium.” Jaemin finds himself saying, mouth moving on its own accord. He, himself, has no idea where that just came from.

Jeno and Yeeun are both turned away but they waste no time whipping around to stare at him, expressions a picture of amused surprise. 

Honestly, Jaemin had been expecting himself to suggest something like the beach, or the roof of some towering building, somewhere where he could feel the thrill of toeing the line between life and death like he usually enjoys.

Today, he just wants to see some pretty fish with his two pretty criminal accomplices.

“Yeah, an aquarium.” Jaemin repeats and Jeno actually laughs out loud at the randomness.

Yeeun shrugs, “I could get behind that.”

“Then it’s settled. An aquarium it is.”

-

While they do get into the car with the exciting intentions to go see some pretty fish, the plan ends up falling through because the nearest aquarium is two and a half hours away and Jeno has absolutely no interest in driving for that long after yesterday’s gruelling haul.

Eventully, they end up deciding to go to a nearby diner so that they can eat and allow Jeno’s eyes a gratuitous rest before they have to start driving again. 

The diner they settle on is retro themed and in the middle of nowhere, one that secretly satisfies the aesthetic desire in Jeno’s heart.

Upon arrival to the 80’s themed diner, they immediately come to the conclusion that _everyone_ is staring at them. 

Initially, he’s not quite sure if it’s because they’re being rather loud in their secluded booth, or more likely because they’re all beaten up and bruised in some way while sporting stupidly expensive outfits at the same time. It’s probably a mix of both. 

It doesn’t help that Jeno nearly swings at him after Jaemin smacks his ass for the nth time before they sit down, tugging an amused laugh out of Yeeun. They better eat before they get kicked out.

Jeno looks at the burger in front of him as if it just came out of one of his his wet dreams and Yeeun does not waste the opportunity to snap a funny picture for later.

Above them, mismatched lamps hang from the ceiling, blinding them with red, green and purple mood lighting that should clash terribly when put together in theory, but adds to the disorderly retro aesthetic instead. 

Outside, the evening horizon glints with the sparkles of stars that they usually can’t see from within the city. Jaemin hasn’t been this far from the city since he was a kid.

The sense of freedom and loneliness crashes upon Jaemin simultaneously and he suddenly feels like he’s in one of those American movies from the 80’s that his mother used to love watching. 

By association, he’s now on the run from gang members who want Jeno dead and also from the police, who want Yeeun (and Jeno, probably) behind bars for life. 

Between the three of them, they have a trunk full of cash, an endless bucket list, no responsibilities and a ticking time limit. He’s sure he’s read a synopsis that runs along those lines _somewhere_.

If there’s one thing he knows for sure, it’s that he’s really lucked out this time.

Jaemin truly won the lottery, finding these two.

-

In the evening, Jeno drives them to a inconspicuous motel that looks like they could get away with walking into and not raise too many suspicions.

The room they pay for under aliases is as small and dingy as they’d expected for the kind of price they’d paid. To them, though, as long as it has a bed and running water, it’s a luxurious commodity. Their bodies still ache from sleeping in the car last night.

Upon walking in, the three of them waste no time in getting ready to turn in, excited to finally be able to sleep in a real bed. 

Yeeun rummages around in the bag full of the practical things she’d bought earlier, handing them all toothbrushes and flannels, before pulling out an oversized shirt and a pair of shorts that she’d bought for the sole purpose of sleeping in.

When she opens the door after showering and getting changed in the bathroom, she doesn’t miss the way their eyes linger on the smooth expanse of her legs, but instead of feeling uncomfortable under their poorly concealed gazes, something in her chest flutters.

They’re quick to avert their eyes when Yeeun turns to them properly, busying themselves with absolutely nothing. Yeeun laughs. Once they stop being dorks and start moving with actual intention to sleep, they’re immediately met with the realisation that there’s only one bed in the room. 

Jeno promptly fusses around the logistics of sleeping arrangements for far too long, even offering to take filthy floor until Yeeun just collapses on the bed and Jaemin grabs him so they can follow suit, despite his protests.

For all of his complaints, Jeno passes out as soon as his head makes contacts with the sheets and Jaemin, lying in the middle, is quick to follow - leaving Yeeun alone with her thoughts.

She sighs, grabbing her new phone from the bedside table and turning it on. It lights up with no incoming notifications save for three lone missed calls. They’re from Seunghee, the only number she hadn’t erased from her contacts. Yeeun doesn’t even know why, but hovering over the delete button had felt wrong.

She swipes left, clearing the notifications from her screen, and places her phone back on the table, face down.

-

It’s a couple hours later when Yeeun jolts awake from a fitful sleep, heart racing. She bites her bottom lip in frustration, she had hoped being in an actual bed would help her sleep easier. Unfortunately, it didn’t seem to make a single difference.

She turns to look at the digital clock and sees that it’s only four am. Hopefully, she’ll be able to catch a few more hours of rest once her heart doesn’t feel like it’s about to beat out of her chest and gruesome images don’t dance around behind her eyelids every time she blinks.

Turning over again, she’s surprised to spot Jaemin sitting up, staring at the opposite wall. The look in his eyes is blank and empty, like he’s not even present. For some reason, it sends shivers down Yeeun’s spine.

She sits up as well, concerned. Jaemin doesn’t notice her shift, doesn’t move even an inch until Yeeun whispers his name into the silence.

“Hey, Jaemin? What’s wrong?” 

Jaemin seems to blink out of it, life flooding back into his eyes, and it scares Yeeun how quickly his expression changes to the one they’re both used to. 

Between them, Jeno’s still out cold. He must be exhausted from all of the driving he’s done. Jaemin stares at him for a moment, smiling softly, _sadly_ , before meeting Yeeun’s gaze. 

“Sleep, Yeeunie. It’ll all be better in the morning.”

-

Somehow, Yeeun manages to take Jaemin’s direction and falls into a light sleep for the rest of the night, though her heart is at terrible unrest after Jaemin’s weird display.

However, immediately upon waking up to only Jeno’s presence in bed, she comes to painfully regret her decision to fall back asleep without pressing Jaemin further, or waking Jeno up _at least_.

Jaemin isn’t in bed. He’s gone.

She tries not to jump to the worst of conclusions, but her heart sinks to the bottom of her stomach when she runs to the bathroom and sees that Jaemin isn’t in there, either. 

At her frantic panicking, Jeno finally blinks awake, eyebrows immediately furrowing in concern once he’s conscious enough to realise what’s going on. “What’s wrong? Where’s Jaemin?”

“I don’t know.” Yeeun responds, voice strained with dread. “I woke up and he was gone but last night he was being really weird and- oh my _god_ , I should’ve woken you up, I should’ve done _something_. What if he’s-“ she cuts herself off, unable to bear the even prospect of what she was about to insinuate.

Still confused, Jeno gets out of bed and grabs her shoulders, forcing Yeeun to look at him. “Slow down.” He soothes but Yeeun can barely focus over the blood rushing in her ears. “What happened?”

“He said it’ll all be better in the morning, Jeno, and now he’s _gone_.”

Jeno’s eyes widen impossibly once he realises exactly what Yeeun is getting at.

“Listen, maybe he’s just gone for a walk, or he’s forgotten something in the car.” Jeno tries to reason, but he’s cut off by the click of the door opening and Jaemin appears, holding a small tube of extra toothpaste.

Jaemin falters in the doorway when he’s greeted by two pairs of wide, panicked eyes. The three of the stare at each other in various levels of confusion, anger and relief.

Yeeun will readily admit that she is entirely responsible for the anger aspect.

“You fucking scared us, Jaemin.” She complains, punching Jaemin in the chest.

Jaemin covers himself, recoiling from Yeeun’s light attacks. “Woah, woah. What’s going on?”

The pair of them look at each other, like they can’t believe the audacity of their black haired accomplice, then scoff.

“We thought you leapt off a fucking building, that’s what’s going on.” Jeno responds, a hint of an amused smile on his lips. What a situation they’ve found themselves in.

Jaemin laughs, goodnaturedly. “Don’t worry. I don’t plan on dying just yet.”

Yeeun’s glad.

-

While Jeno’s not entirely clear on the details leading up to this specific point, he knows that they’ve managed to find themselves in a flashy, crowded club a couple days later.

Jeno‘s occupied himself sitting at a bar, ordering drink after drink even though he’s already totally wasted. The one he’s currently nursing is clear in colour and the sharp smell of strong alcohol makes Jeno wince. 

In front of him, Jaemin and Yeeun are lost in the sea of gyrating bodies on the dance floor, both drunk off their asses as well.

Initially, Yeeun had been perfectly content with dancing alone after she’d gotten a few drinks in her system, multiple eyes from around the club following her movements. She’d been enjoying herself, behaving the most freely they’ve seen since they first found her bloody and in the middle of the street.

Jeno and Jaemin watched her from the bar until she’d made her way to them, pushing past the sweaty bodies in her way. Flushed from the heat and the alcohol, she’d grabbed Jaemin’s hand, pulling him to dance with her and as expected, he’d gone easily.

Now, Jeno’s been an adult for more than three years at this point, but he still doesn’t feel old enough to watch the way the two of them move. 

The air between the two of them is charged with sensual tension and Jaemin holds eye contact with Jeno the entire time, making him shiver at the sheer intensity. 

The song finally ends after what feels like three hours and Jaemin’s letting go of Yeeun’s waist, returning to the bar. Jeno tenses as he approaches, readying himself for what’s about to occur.

Not a word is spoken between them, before Jaemin’s pulling his chin up and connecting their lips. The kiss is immediately wet and messy, and Jeno can’t get enough, pressing forward incessantly. He feels like he can’t breathe.

They only pull away from each other when Yeeun joins them, eyes glinting in dark excitement.

“Let’s get out of here.”

-

Somehow, they make their way to a random motel (though it takes ages because they keep stopping to press kisses all over each other), and it takes no time for them to decide that this is where they’re sleeping tonight. 

They fall into bed, lips and hands everywhere, and Jeno bathes in the sensations. Being with them feels good, he realises, it feels _easy_. Everything they’re doing and have done is definitely morally incorrect in more ways that one but Jeno can’t find it in himself to care at all.

Not when Yeeun’s falling into his lap, blonde hair brushing her shoulders and obscuring her vision as she leans forward to connect their lips. Not when he watches Jaemin hoist her up by the thighs, eyes swimming with want. Not when Jaemin takes and gives it so good that Jeno wants to cry.

Not when he’s already addicted to this, to _them_.

Soon, the air around them is thick with the smell of sex and alcohol, and the atmosphere is filled with the sounds of their heavy breathing as they come down from their collective high.

Sweaty, sleepy and sated, Jeno mumbles. “I like both of you. A lot. I don’t even know why. I just do.” 

“Me too.” Yeeun says, and then she’s suddenly laughing for no reason. Jeno and Jaemin both turn to her, confused at her sudden hysterics, but Jaemin’s set off by it too, and all of them are soon overcome by giggles.

-

Jaemin wakes up to soft light streaming through the curtains, a face full of messy golden hair and a heavy hand resting against his thigh.

He basks quietly in the soft tranquility of the morning, simply taking in the way the light glistens prettily against Jeno’s face. He has his own arm wrapped around Yeeun’s bare waist and when he accidentally shifts, it causes her to stir awake.

Jeno doesn’t take long to follow, blinking awake, and the three of them just lie there, revelling in the coolness of the sheets and the comfort of each other.

-  
-

Even though the nightmares are debilitating, Yeeun doesn’t think she’ll ever have to actually witness the scene she left in her shop in Seoul again until she’s confronted by it on Jeno’s phone screen.

Two days after their eventful night together, Jeno and Yeeun are lying in bed together, scrolling through the internet while they wait for Jaemin to finish up in the shower. 

Jeno’s cuddly like a puppy, Yeeun’s come to find and he’s leaning on her shoulder while tapping through his phone, giving Yeeun a view to spectate too.

Yeeun sees the way Jeno attempts to turn his phone away and close the page when he realises exactly what he’s looking at, but it’s too late.

Just before he closes the page, red reflects in Jeno’s eyes. It reflects in Yeeun’s eyes too, strengthens the sear in her memory.

There’s so much blood. 

It had seeped into every crevice, into the gaps between the linoleum floor, staining the ridges in her fingertips. The stench was suffocating, nauseating, and sometimes when it’s too hot and the heat gives her a headache, she feels like the metallic odour is crawling up her nostrils again, making her head pound.

Her hands begin to shake.

She feels like blood is pouring out of her eyes, her ears. It won’t stop.

Jeno’s saying something, she’s sure, but it sounds so far away.

“Yeeun. Yeeunie. Come back to me, Yeeunie. It’s okay, we’re okay.” He soothes, and after a couple minutes, the air reaches her lungs again. Her hands stop shaking as violently.

They sit in utter silence, Jeno rubbing her back. It’s grounding.

“I knew his mom.” She whispers, and it’s like a dam breaks. The guilt is overwhelming. “She used to invite me over. She used to feed me. She said I was like her daughter. She comforted me even when her own son cheated on me.”

Jeno‘a eyes widen, but he doesn’t interrupt.

“I killed him, Jeno. And I can’t forget. I see him every night and every morning. Every smell makes me want to throw up because somehow it reminds me of how the blood had smelt. I see him every time I blink, too. Everywhere I go, he’s there.” She takes a shaky breath and squeezes her eyes shut.

“And now he’s there too.” She points to Jeno’s forgotten phone. 

“They’re looking for me.”

Jeno switches their positions so that Yeeun’s facing him, on his lap. He cups her face softly, “And they’re not going to find you.”

“But-“

“No buts.” He interrupts, kindly. “and even if they do, we’ll follow you to the end. Even if it kills us.”

There’s nothing but sincerity in Jeno’s voice and Yeeun finds herself wondering how she’s managed to find such good people in such a fucked up situation.

Yeeun allows her head to dip so they can press their lips together, revelling in the way Jeno smiles into the kiss. It’s soft, nothing like the ones from two days ago, and Yeeun can feel everything Jeno wants to say but simply can’t find the words for.

The moment is broken when Jaemin walks out of the bathroom, dressed in black pants and a comfortable-looking hoodie, hair still dripping slightly wet. 

When they break away, they see hesitation on his features and he begins moving like he’s going to walk back out, but Jeno makes a grabbing gesture towards him and the tension in his shoulders relaxes as he comes to join them on the bed.

They’d intended to get back on the road straight after Jaemin’s shower because they can’t really afford to stay in one place longer than a sufficient night’s sleep, so Yeeun appreciates that they willingly lie with her.

After a long while of just lying there, Jeno whispers a “Feeling better?”, and Yeeun’s surprised when she easily agrees.

-

Things change after that. 

For a trio who’d practically be considered strangers under any other circumstance, the shift is incredibly noticeable.

It comes in the form of Jeno’s random kisses, or the stupidly prolonged eye contact. 

Jaemin’s flirty passes have a lot more substance behind them than they did before, and Yeeun’s blushes aren’t a product of embarrassment anymore, but because she’s _flustered_.

When it’s time to sleep, they always huddle in the same bed, no matter how many rooms or beds there happen to be in whatever motel they’ve stopped at for the night. 

Jeno thinks it’s because Yeeun’s nightmares are worse at night. Yeeun thinks it’s because Jaemin finds the inclination to do _something_ to himself a lot more tempting when he’s alone. Jaemin thinks it’s because Jeno just doesn’t want to be lonely.

Whatever the reason is, they always wake up wrapped around each other every morning, a mess of tangled limbs. None of them will admit it to each other, but the warm comfort of waking up together is what truly pulls them to each other every night.

During the day, they find a lot of different things to occupy themselves with. 

Sometimes, Jaemin will drag them around from shop to shop, spending so much money that celebrities would probably quake in jealousy. He blows through stacks and stacks of cash, but it never makes a dent in their stash. 

On those days that Jaemin drags them out, Jeno always ends up stealing so much that they end up having to just throw the things of no value away, and Jaemin never fails to laugh at the pout in his face as he does so. Or, they’ll simply drive around with no real destination, stopping at interesting places as they go.

They do end up going to an aquarium eventually, all thanks to Yeeun, who finds it for them. It was a lovely day, one where they could pretend to fit in the realm of normalcy. 

Jeno had wondered what things would’ve been like had the three of them met under ordinary circumstances, but he quickly shook the thoughts away. Something tells him that relationship just wasn’t meant for ‘ordinary circumstances’.

More often than not, they find themselves in clubs and each of those evenings always ends in heavy breathing and roaming hands. Jaemin likes this, likes them, _loves_ this lifestyle. It’s everything he’d been searching for.

They’re so fucking free.

-

The three of them walk into a loud party, complete with flashing lights, deafening music and shitty weed.

As usual, they get separated as soon as they walk in, because when three insanely people walk into a crowded club it’s hard not to get dragged away by the countless people vying for conversation.

Jeno’s currently chatting with two girls, who are apparently third year exchange students from Japan. 

From the way they’re dressed and the sight of the shiny black cards glinting on the bar top, Jeno makes an educated guess that they probably come from an extremely wealthy background if they’re able to afford luxuries like that as uni students.

They scribble their numbers on a sheet and slide it into Jeno’s back pocket, but he judges that they probably won’t want to pursue anything when they realise he’s managed to slip away with both of their credit cards in the same pocket.

Lost in the ocean of sweaty bodies once again, Jeno spots Jaemin on the other side of the club. 

As he approaches, Jeno sees that he’s sitting at a secluded table and a couple of people drift around his midst. 

They make eye contact and Jaemin’s gaze is unfocused, his pupils dilated. He’s totally  
baked, Jeno realises, and doesn’t have to search too hard to find evidence for his conclusion, if the remnants of white powder on the table means anything.

Jeno takes the seat next to him and Jaemin smiles, blissfully high. Suddenly, Yeeun also appears and sits with them, too. She looks rather sober for their setting.

“Why do you always say yes?” Jeno speaks into the atmosphere and Jaemin’s eyes furrow. He clarifies. “You know, when they offer you all of this shit.”

He waves around to punctuate the end of his sentence. 

Since the three of them aren’t exactly strangers when it comes to breaking the law now, they’ll occasionally accept pulls and substances they know will make the lights brighter and the mood headier. Still, Jeno has never seen Jaemin decline a single offer. 

“If you were me, you’d wanna be high too.” Jaemin scoffs, closing his eyes. He looks almost peaceful though the music is deafening.

“Do you still want to die?” Yeeun questions, still staring out into the mess of glitter and yelling in front of them.

Jaemin hums. The atmosphere dampens with something subdued, and the scene surrounding them suddenly doesn’t match their subject matter. Jeno takes a long swig from his glass. The alcohol burns as it slides down his throat.

“I don’t know.” Jaemin finally responds. “I guess I want to be with you guys more than I want to die, so there’s that.”

Jeno thinks he understands in a way. A twisted, drunken way.

They sit there, something muted and reflective brewing in the air between them. 

Yeeun breaks the silence with a small chuckle. “I’m glad I met you guys. I’m not glad about the other shit, but I’m definitely happy that it led me to meeting you guys.”

Jeno’s glad, too.

-

Leather pants and linen couches don’t go well together, Jeno finds out after watching their third shitty reality show episode in a row.

For starters, it’s uncomfortable. 

The leather drags against the linen so much that it’s hard to move without feeling like he’s glued to the seat. It’s also really fucking hot and his skin sweats under the material, which isn’t helped by Jaemin kicking his legs up on his lap. 

The other man is also dressed in a manner that doesn’t fit the current occasion in the slightest - wearing a choker wrapped around his neck and a mesh shirt that sparkles under the dim light of the tv. 

All the way on the other end of the small couch, Yeeun stares at the screen, her lips painted red. Earlier, she had spent almost forty minutes curling her hair, willing to sacrifice that time because it’d been ages since she’d last done it. Apparently, dyed blonde hair doesn’t hold curls quite as well.

They had dressed up with the intention to spend the night out partying, but it didn’t take long for them to realise that none of them were really feeling it. 

Instead, they’ve crowded on the small couch, turned off the lights and flicked on the shitty motel tv that only provides a selection of adult shows, cartoons and this shitty reality show.

None of them are really paying attention, but their eyes are glued to the screen none the less.

He feels Jaemin’s hand creep into his.

Jeno thinks he likes these quiet moments.

-

It all comes crumbling down a couple weeks later when they walk into a diner, all smiles and jokes, until they’re met with Yeeun’s face plastered in the corner of a widescreen tv, coupled with a ‘wanted’ description.

They all freeze.

Yeeun’s hand in Jeno’s grip tightens almost painfully and her skin pales to a concerning degree, before Jaemin’s ushering them out as inconspicuously as possible. 

It’s a wonder they make it out unnoticed, honestly, with their hearts beating so wildly out of their chests everyone in the building probably hears. 

Barely breathing, Yeeun stiffly manoeuvres into the backseat, eyes distant like she’s not even conscious of her surroundings.

He’d marvelled at the spacious design of Jaemin’s expensive stolen car earlier, but now, the walls feel like they’re closing in on him as he forces his foot down on the gas pedal. 

Even Jaemin, ever the thrill seeker, keeps glancing behind them periodically as if he’s worried that they’re being trailed or something.

The road is deathly silent at this hour.

Twenty miles later, in the safety of their car and in the anonymity of an unknown city, Yeeun suddenly gasps like there’s no air in her lungs. 

She blinks and the hazed look from earlier dissipates without a trace, instead replaced with a wide, frightened one, like a deer caught in headlights.

It takes ten minutes for the gasps and tremors to quieten and when Yeeun’s breathing finally evens out, Jeno rests his head against the wheel. 

For the nth time in the past couple weeks, Jeno feels so tired it aches in the depths of his bones.

-

They don’t mention it, but the incident hangs heavily in the air between them. The shift is so sudden Jeno feels like he’s developed whiplash. 

For fear of another like catastrophe, they stop eating inside the restaurants they’d normally visit, instead ordering straight to their rooms.

When they check in, Yeeun always wears a mask. She doesn’t say anything, so they don’t mention it either, but Jeno can tell she’s doing it in order to hide her identity. Eventually, she starts feeling like that is insufficient too, and asks Jaemin to buy her a box of black hair dye when he next goes out.

The three of them dye her hair in a shitty motel bathroom and it’s one of few thoroughly enjoyable moments they’ve had these past few days. 

(Mainly because Jeno and Jaemin can’t follow Yeeun’s instructions to save their lives and they almost end up dying the entire nape of her neck black too. Somehow, they finish the job through joint efforts and the finished result leaves both men totally speechless. Jeno and Jaemin show Yeeun just how much they like her black hair later that evening.)

After that highlight, there’s a lot of darkness.

They’re _scared_ and it shows.

They sleep in a different city every night but the rooms are always the same. 

Soon, seeing the same wallpaper, carpet and bedsheets every single day for hours on end becomes frustrating. They’re so far on edge that every time room service rings the bell they jump. 

Three criminals cooped up inside by the shackles of constricting fear raises tensions as anyone would expect, until it bubbles over in seething insults and coursing irritation.

Jaemin and Yeeun once get into a fight so intense, they’d almost been kicked out of the premises. 

Another time, Jeno had had to silently excuse himself to go on a long walk alone because he’d been so close to punching Jaemin’s pretty face that he kisses every morning.

(‘Hit me. I know you fucking want to.’ Jaemin had taunted, playing into Jeno’s concerningly short temper. His eyes had gleamed with something mad, like he was feeding off of the tension, the heat, the agression. Jeno had clenched his fists so tightly that bloody crescent moons appeared in the soft skin of his palms. How can someone be so fucking _insane_?)

In the midst of the chaos, Yeeun’s started to take three showers a day, forty minutes each. Whenever Jeno steps in after her, the water is always scalding hot, to the point where it feels like it’ll actually singe his skin off of his body.

They have a lot of time on their hands, so there’s that for a reason. But, Jeno thinks she’s trying to rid herself of the sensation of _blood_.

(It never goes away, Jeno wants to tell her. He keeps quiet, instead.

He thinks she knows.)

-

They took a gamble coming here, tonight.

While her face isn’t popping up as much as they’d thought, Yeeun’s name is _everywhere_. From newspapers, to posters, to flyers on the street. She doesn’t ever headline, but her name is always tucked away in a corner, followed by a number to call to report any evidence. 

Judging by the overall lack of pictures or general noise surrounding the situation, she guesses the social media sites haven’t really caught wind of the case yet. Once they have a hold on it, it’ll be all over for any anonymity she wishes to keep.

The movie playing on the big screen is one Yeeun remembers from her childhood. 

As the eldest sibling, she would put it on for the younger children to watch as she took care of household chores, while their parents worked all day.

She’s never watched it quite like this before, sitting on the hood of the car while the colossal projection dances around in front of them and countless other cars. 

There’s a calm breeze caressing their skin and it makes them huddle that tiny bit closer. Jaemin leans his head on her shoulder and she runs her free hand through the soft tresses of his hair, the other interlaced with Jeno’s fingers.

The night sky twinkles above them, illuminating them all with a glow that makes Yeeun feel innocent all over again. It’s like they’re on the peripheral of chaos, like everything leading up to this point simply ceases to exist.

It’s intimate, calm and feels all too much like the end.

-  
-

Jeno’s anxious. 

They can see it in the way his fingers tap at his thighs whenever he’s been idle for too long. They see it in the way he jolts awake every morning at dawn, unable to fall back asleep.

He’s even stopped stealing unnecessarily for fear of drawing attention and Jaemin can tell it’s affecting him more severely than he’d like to admit. His pupils shake and he shoves his hands in his pockets while they peruse the aisles, and Jaemin can almost see the magnetic pull to take, take, _take_.

In order to resist the urges, he’s stopped entering shops with them entirely, instead choosing to wait in the car.

It reaches a climax when pictures of the three of them leaving a convenience store surface on the internet. They’re blurry and vague, but it’s them all the same.

At this revelation, Yeeun’s eyes widen, her heart beats irregularly and frantically, then she’s finally sighing, defeated. She lets her phone fall to the floor.

“Leave me.”

“What?” Jaemin says from where he’s lying on the bed. Next to him, Jeno’s eyebrows also furrow.

“Ditch me, or turn me in, or something.” Yeeun leans her head against the back of the armchair she’s sitting in, eyes fixated on the ceiling above her. They’re glassy with tears. “You can get away, live normal lives again. I don’t want to drag you guys down with me.”

Jeno sits up properly and unlinks himself from where he’s cuddling with Jaemin. He laughs, but the sound is dry. “I don’t know about you guys but I’ll never live a normal life. In case you haven’t noticed, I can’t stop stealing shit and getting into fights.”

They all laugh, remembering how Jeno and Jaemin had almost fought amongst themselves. Up to now, Jeno still complains of rib pain from when Ten and his gang members had beaten him up all that time ago. 

Jeno continues. “I also probably won’t be able to step a foot into Seoul as long as I live.”

Jaemin doesn’t doubt him. If he hadn’t come across Jeno when he did, honestly, the both of them would probably be dead now. They’d sent out a terrifying number of men to get the job done so Jaemin can’t imagine what would happen if they were to catch wind that Jeno and the guy who helped him get away were back in town.

“I’ve clearly got a few wires crossed.” Jaemin speaks up with a small chuckle, though his heart tugs at Yeeun’s words. He can’t imagine the level of guilt she must be feeling. “My ‘normal life’ is drugs, alcohol and wanting to die. We’re not going to leave you, Yeeunie.”

Yeeun looks at them, and Jaemin sees true clarity in her gaze for the first time. They’re in this together, no matter what.

They make love that night, slow and sweet.

Jaemin’s sure all three of them shed tears, but who really knows anymore?

-

It takes another week for the end to finally catch up with them.

Throughout that week, Jeno had been growing increasingly uncomfortable with remaining idle for long periods of time. Namely, because it felt like every time they so much as parked their car, the same silver model would show up. 

Jeno had willed it away as mere paranoia because there are countless numbers of small silver cars on the roads at any given point, and also because their stress levels have been heightened recently. That was until Jaemin had begun noticing it too.

In hindsight, it was obvious what was going on.

They were being watched, followed, observed.

It’s the car, Jeno realises belatedly, as countless police cars chase them through the deserted streets. It’s the car that gave them away. 

They must have received a report, either from that stupid fucking number in the corner of every article or the person Jaemin had stolen the car from filed it themselves, and they’d managed to connect it to the case.

There’s no other explanation as to why the same car kept popping up wherever they went, no matter how many miles they’d travelled.

Jaemin seems to realise this at the same time, and his eyes widen in hindsight. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”

Jeno waves him off, steeling his gaze on the road. “There’s only so long you can keep running. Trust me, I’m an expert in this field”

He steps on it.

Just ten minutes ago, they’d stopped at a convenience store so Jaemin could pick up some painkillers and other essential items when he’d come out two minutes later with nothing in his hands, face deathly pale and expression panicked.

Jeno’s blood immediately ran cold.

He could instantly tell that something was terribly wrong.

His suspicions were quickly proved correct when Jaemin’s brisk walk turned into a fast jog as sirens began to wail in the distance.

“Go, go!” Jaemin had urged as soon as he threw the door shut behind him, but Jeno foot had already been slamming the accelerator before he’d even gotten in the car properly.

As Jeno’s turning out of the parking lot, three more police cars suddenly appear out of nowhere, sirens flicking on. He speeds up, and the cars behind them follow suit. Thank fuck the road is empty, more or less.

“What are we gonna do?” Yeeun asks from the passenger seat. Her eyes are fixed on the rearview mirror, but instead of the fear Jeno had been anticipating, she almost looks _calm_.

“No idea.” Jeno responds, gripping the wheel tighter.

He looks into the wing mirror and it seems like the number of cars chasing them has magically doubled.

Jaemin laughs, as fearless as ever. “Take ‘em for a ride, I guess.”

Jeno shrugs in passive agreement as Yeeun slides the sunglasses Jaemin had stolen for her a week before on her face. It’s completely dark outside. Jeno thinks she looks breathtaking. 

Considering the situation currently at hand, the three of them definitely look far too calm for the amount of adrenaline pumping in their veins. 

He thinks they all subconsciously know that this is the end. 

That they aren’t getting out of this.

Jeno slams harder on the gas and the car lurches forward. 

They’re going so fast that Yeeun has to grab the glovebox to settle herself. Jaemin, on the other hand, seems to be loving the entire situation. He leans entirely out of the window and screams at the top of his lungs, hair getting tousled by the harsh winds.

He looks beautiful, Jeno thinks. He looks _free_ , which is ironic because they’re being chased by countless police cars as criminals who’ll probably never see the light of day if caught.

For some reason, his eccentric behaviour is comforting. In the front seats, both Yeeun and Jeno burst out laughing in a way that doesn’t match the situation at all. Jeno hasn’t felt like this since the first week after they’d met.

The sirens spiking in volume startles Jeno into remembering that their futures are on the line here.

Ahead of them, a collection of traffic congests the highway and he knows that they’ll never make it out if they get trapped in there, so he takes a sudden, sharp left out of instinct and quickly realises his grave mistake.

He slams the breaks when they’re confronted by a parking lot that’s scarily reminiscent of the one that Jaemin led him into all that time ago. They’ve driven straight into a dead end. Choosing not to waste a second on regretting his poor decision, Jeno promptly makes another poor decision. 

He heavily drags the wheel to the right, allowing the car to take them up the slopes of the capacious allotment. 

He expects questioning looks from both of his companions as they go higher and higher, but when he looks, Jaemin is still occupied hanging out of the window and Yeeun is still singing her heart out to the song on the radio.

It’s almost like this isn’t the end.

It feels normal.

They reach the roof of the building with seven police cars on their tail, blocking any hope of an escape. Jeno sighs, finally flicking off the engine.

Behind them, Jaemin finally drags himself back inside the car and rests his head in his hands. His eyes are gleaming with something wild and crazy, something that terrifies Jeno and makes him truly feel alive all at the same time.

Yeeun pulls her clutch bag from by her feet and rummages around inside, eventually pulling out three familiar metal bracelets. She holds her hand out and clasps the bracelets around each of their wrists, kissing the skin underneath afterwards.

“It’s all over, then.” She whispers, eyes glassy and full of something Jeno knows there isn’t time to identify. It’s just not worth trying to figure out exactly what goes beyond all of the things they did for fun, at this point in time.

“Why are you so calm about this?” Jeno asks, leaning against the headrest. He’d expected her to be in tears, totally hysterical.

Instead, she’s quiet.

“I’m tired, Jeno. I’m so tired.” Yeeun says, eyes fluttering shut. 

He’d barely noticed before, but Yeeun’s very being screams exhaustion. Her shoulders are sunk and the bags under her eyes are dark and deep, a physical memoir of her guilt. When she speaks next, her voice sounds peaceful, placid, _honest_. “I don’t wanna be tired anymore.”

Jaemin reaches over and tucks a strand of hair behind her ear, gently. He presses a soft kiss on her cheek before turning to cup Jeno’s face. He doesn’t say anything but his hand is warm against his cheek as he wipes away the tear that cascades down Jeno’s face with his thumb.

The sirens behind them get louder, triggering them into action. There’s shouting outside, but neither of them pay any attention as they step out of the car.

It’s cold when the doors slam behind them and the breeze raises goosebumps against their skin.

They’re at the very perimeter of the building, standing at the railings that look over the entire city, which is breathtakingly beautiful at night. 

The horizon sparkles with a skyline of illuminated buildings and the clouds swirl prettily above them. 

As someone who’s spent the majority of their lives trapped in the metropolitan city of Seoul, Jeno’s not used to seeing the way the stars twinkle in the sky, their only form of company besides each other on this cold, lonely night.

The police have gotten out of their cars by now and surround the three, guns and batons raised.

“We’re on the roof.” Jaemin opens, indicatively. The other two stare at him, eyebrows furrowed, unsure as to what he’s getting at, until it clicks in both of them simultaneously.

Jeno gapes.

“Are you serious?”

Jaemin laughs, again.

“Well, of course _I_ am.”

Jeno remembers exactly who he’s conversing with and comes to the conclusion that he’s very serious.

“I’m down.” Yeeun speaks up, shrugging like this isn’t what it is. Like they aren’t about to do what they’re about to do. “Beats prison.”

It should be more concerning than it is, but that’s all it takes to convince Jeno to climb upon the ledge. Jaemin follows, along with Yeeun, and soon they’re all staring at the dark, empty, windy alleyways below.

They’re so high up and it’s so dark that they can barely see the ground beneath them. Behind them, the shouting increases in volume and Jeno thinks they’re trying to convince them to step off of the ledge.

Fuck it.

He turns around, makes eye contact with a specific officer and yells for them to investigate dash enterprises. There’s no way he’s gonna die for this shit and just let those assholes get away with everything.

Surprised, the other two laugh at his antics.

Yeeun smiles. “Dragging them down with you, huh?”

He doesn’t respond, just turns back to stare at their fate below.

Honestly, Jeno‘s glad he’s dying with these two.

Suddenly, a deafening whirring starts above them, loud and blaring. A blinding light and a strong rush of wind assaults them and upon looking upwards, they’re shocked to witness a massive helicopter above them.

“Wow,” Yeeun breathes. “I thought this shit only happened in the movies.”

Jaemin responds. “They really went all out for us, huh.”

The silence that falls upon them is heavy with finality. They’re running out of time.

There’s so much they want to say that they’re positively brimming, but no words seem to fit the current moment.

“I meant it when I said I was glad I met you guys. All of this was worth it.” Jaemin tells them.

And it was.

“I guess this is it.” Jeno finds himself saying, heart heavy and chest constricted.

“Yeah.”

“Yeah.”

Jeno takes a deep breath as they grab each other’s hands, fingers interlaced, and the fear dissipates.

He lets the pull of the edge take him easily. 

And just like that, 

they’re falling.

**Author's Note:**

> And there we have it


End file.
